Friday, January 22, 2010

pumped about decluttering

since committing to move i feel like Super Mom, a rare season of life for sure. kids are shuttled to their obligations (church, library, preschool, playdates, and so forth) and im feverishly cleaning and decluttering (glorious decluttering!) or working out on the bike trainer (i know, im as surprise as anyone else to see me doing this.) i haven't worked out since college and even then it was sporadic at best. and if im not doing that, which has been the bulk of my daytime activities im cooking or folding clothes or something else Productive. as in, not farting around mindlessly on the internet as in the days of yore.

speaking of decluttering, i am hooked! i swear it feels like im high on life when i rip through a box and divide it up into piles (some to friends, to trash, to the thrift store, or to keep). we've decided to get rid of a metric ton of our stuff. and ohhhh buddy, if you want to see what a hoarder you are start going through all of your children's stuff (if you have them). that stuff piles up QUICK and before you know it you're chest high in bumbo seats and sterilite tubs full of baby clothes, trinkets, and nostalgic junk. david and i have cleverly avoided talking about the possibility of more children (or not) but! what our history has taught us is that we have not only extremely resourceful friends but generosity to match. so if more sigler kids are to be had, we'll just reap the benefits of borrowing everything from our gaggle of parent-friends. see, the problem with having kids first is that you have to buy everything. we've been happy to lend or give away almost everything up until now but now? no seriously TAKE IT AWAY. i've gone through oh, half a dozen tubs of clothes and the entire first floor of our apartment and i think i've made two trips to the thrift store with (maybe one? two? dozen) big bags of stuff. YAY for getting rid of crap! i also have tubs of baby clothes for specific friends and family members and im reserving one small tub for archival outfits and trinkets. and stick to that rule i shall! so far out of the decluttering the "save" bin only has 4 outfits. another rule - if we haven't used something in the two yrs we've lived in this apartment, short of extremely nostalgic or valuable, it's going buh-bye. i am so pumped to get rid of all of our stuff!!!

10 comments:

Mandy said...

this is so very inspiring since my house is in desperate need of decluttering and I have literally been feeling like getting rid of everything!

For The Love of Rockets said...

Oh I know what you mean REALLY!!! i don't have any kids but I'm a babysitter and i get stuff from flea markets and thrift stores (it's an addiction) for the little wee ones i watch so when i moved from my apartment to my new house i had so much stuff i went in to holy crap mode and got rid of alot of stuff so i hope you have fun and enjoy your new place :D plus i loved your music playlist my neice loves it too :D

Doom For Darlings said...

My favorite part of moving is getting rid of stuff! I've moved enough by now that I have less to get rid of, but there is always, always more than you would think. It's a total high!

Sarah said...

if i lived by you i'd be stalking your thrift store to get my hands on some of the stupendous outfits you've had Olive in!

meridith said...

moving is the best way to get rid of stuff, i love it and i love that when you unpack and reorganize sometimes you can get rid of even more. i have to really fight being a hoarder because i am so nostalgic but getting rid of stuff is awesome. i have some stuff that needs to be gotten rid of now.

Anonymous said...

you're becoming Flylady!

Jamie said...

Hi Jenny! So I've been reading your blog for over 2 years now, but never have I felt more compelled to comment. (BTW, your sister-in-law and her husband are some of our dearest friends, which is how I happened upon your blog). I think "gifting" your castoffs to friends & the thrift store is a great idea, but thought I might suggest that you send some of those goodies to the people of Haiti. I've heard that UPS will ship 50 lbs or less FREE of charge to Haiti right now. Just a suggestion. :) Blessings to you and your family -- I feel like I know you all personally! :)

Kathy Campbell said...

I've been seriously hitting the decluttering track too! It's SO wonderfully energizing!

Anonymous said...

I know this os off topic, but I am starting my first home garden this year, we will be making raised beds and using organic growing practices. I am wondering if you could give me a few ideas on what plants are best for beginner gardeners and if you have any handy tips. Thanks in advance, ERIN

Violet said...

Same boat over here! Finished packing up our art room and now I'm working on packing our bathroom and the kitchen. OH GOSH. The kitchen is the only room I'm dreading.

We're having a rummage event on Saturday and we're inviting our friends to come over and root through our stuff and take it away for free. I'm excited to get rid of our crap.. I might just buy donuts for our takers, too! ;)

Hope things with O and A are doing well. Total morning sickness over here. :)

Here's to new homes with no break-ins!! *clink, clink*